Hola everyone! How's it going back home? Life is pretty alright in Quito. Well to start off this week we had changes and my companion got transferred. I didn't. I'm going to train a new elder and so I won't have a companion until Thursday because he's coming from the CCM. I'm still loving life in Congahua. Enjoying the view of the three volcanos and havin a blast. This week was bacanisimo. We had an awesome experience. We had been teaching Marco, who had fecha for the 21st but then it fell through. He had been slipping away little by little from when the baptismal date fell, and we were really worried about some things. We had a family home evening with him and the whole family that was good, but we were still worried. I told my companion, the day we are able to put another baptismal date with him is the day we walk in the door and the first thing he tells us is "I want to baptized." Well we left a little discouraged but we had an appointment with him two days later and we walked in the door, sat down, and the first thing he said was, "Elders, I've made a decision. I'm going to get baptized this next Saturday. I had a dream, and I heard the words, get rid of your pride over and over again. . ." I didn't even know what to do. I about fell out of my chair. It was like the best two years movie when the investigator told them the same thing and they didnt know what to do. It was awesome. He's all set to go for the coming Saturday. Also with the other investigator Katy, she is all set to go for the 7th of March. We are really hoping that we can have a ton of success in this change. We have a lot of potential and a lot of things going our way. I got here with absolutley nothing. Only 1 family, now we have 10 or so that have good strong potential to make it to baptism and we're super excited. I hope the new guy brings a lot of faith with him. This week was awesome. We weren't able to do a whole lot in the beginning because of Carnaval, but it was still good. I can't believe im 19. I must have done somthing right in my area because everywhere I went Saturday and Sunday they were giving me cakes. Even the investigators, it was nuts. I've got some awesome picks for this weeks and I've got a ton too. Oh ya, Happy birthday mom, hope you guys had a good day. I definitely didn't have a steak dinner. That would have been alright. I did eat some big beetles though; it was almost like a steak. . . I also had some quail eggs that were hard boiled. That was actually pretty dang good though. There is a scripture in D&C 123:17,"Therefore dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then we may stand still, with the uttmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I love this scripture! It's helped me through a lot of hard times, and I believe the work that Elder Nielsen and I were able to do is part of the reason that the miracles are starting to come. I know that in the mission or in life in general, if we do all that we can do God will be there to help us wiht what we lack or what we need. I love this church. I know the church is true. I love you guys. I'll send pictures. Talk to ya next week.

Hola everyone! Waz up? This week was awesome. Some crazy things happened, but it was a pretty darn good week. To start, Carnaval started this week. Carnaval is a Latin American holiday that's pretty crazy. There are people in the streets with water balloons and people on roof tops with buckets of water, and they throw it at pretty much everyone. Well, we have been very alert of people and they hadn't got us until right before I started writing. My bus got ambushed, and they put a water balloon and 4 buckets through a window that I was close too. Ya, well needless to say, I'm drying off right now haha. It was awesome though. This week also we did something that I don't know has ever been done. We had a baptism in a blow up kitty pool at the house of the investigator. Now it was because the mom has cancer and she couldn't leave the house, but she really wanted to see the baptism. So the other elders got permission and I'll be sure to send pics of how it all happened. It was one of the coolest baptisms I've been too. We had to pull buckets of water out of a well and pump up the "faunt" with a bike pump. It was awesome. This week was full of miracles. I couldnt believe it. We have an investigator now with a baptismal date that wanted baptized but couldn't because she wasn't married to her spouse. We had known that something just wasn't right with her spouse, and we had been trying to figure out the way to solve everything and then something crazy happened. Remember the scripture that says the Lord works in mysterious ways? I testify to that. We got to her house one day and she wasn't there. We were about to walk back when we decided to wait for a bus. She lives a litle far out. Well we waited for the bus and she happened to be on the bus. We were ale to talk to her and she accepted a visit right then and there so we were happy. She was more or less crying and the second miracle of this visit was that I was with a more experienced missionary becuase when I asked "how is your spouse" she replied " with his girlfriend." I didn't know what to say but we ended up asking some questions and sharing some scriptures and what had happened is she found his phone when he was passed out drunk and found out everything and kicked him out forever. She accepted a baptism date for March and has already had a powerful experience with the Book of Mormon. It was crazy but super good for her. He was a jerk. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Then the next day we walked to the store of one of our mamitas. When we got there, her cousin told us to go to the house to eat this particular day. Well we were frustrated because we had to pay a bus because she lives far away from her store where we usually eat. Well we got on the bus and there was the wife of a family of investigators that we had not been able to teach in a while because we couldn't find them. We were able to get a appointment and we had great lesson. It was the family with the house that kind of shined. We think we got back on track with them because the lesson was powerful. We have a lot of hope for the future. We have 10-15 people that could potentially reach baptism in March with a whole lot of blessings and a whole lot faith. Were going to see what we can do to bring all these to pass. They are all incredibly close and I'm sure that with a lot of help form the Lord March will be an incredible month for us. This week was crazy, we had a lot of blessings and miracles and it made me think of a scripture in 2 Nephi 27:23:"For behold I am God, I am a God of miracles. I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday today and forever, and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." I know that is true. We have miracles happen everyday if we'd just look. Every challenge, every blessing, every breath even is a miracle from God. This is really what I have to write about this week. I'll send picks. I love you guys! Talk to you next week.

Hola everyone! What's going on! Chuta this week was a good one. We were able to do a lot of work and we're hoping for some success in the future. We have 5 people with a baptismal date for the 21st of February, but none of them are for sure so we're going to keep working with them. Familia chinchuña accounts for 4 of them. (parents and two young kids.) They just got married, but they are awesome and they are progressing really well right now. It's just that they are a little hesitant with baptism and so we are still working with this. Then we have Marco. He's awesome. He is still progressing well, and we are really hoping for this one. He's super cool and the rest of the family is awesome as well. We have had some bad luck finding some of the others. They never seem to be home even though we are passing by the house like 3 times a day. It's been raining a lot lately which I'm not too happy about. Contacting is just not fun in pouring rain, but its all good. I'm feeling really good about the future. We will just have to see what happens, but I think it will be good. This week I had a cool experience. We were teaching a member, a lady that likes us to come and read the Book of Mormon with her. She told us this story that was awesome. She said, "I don't have anything. I don't have a house. I don't have money. I don't have education, but I have the Book of Mormon, and a few months ago I didn't even have that because I couldn't read. But I decided to start reading and writing everything I understood so I could learn, and now I can read." Now, she can read pretty dang well and it was all without a teacher without anything, just effort and the Book of Mormon. She still writes what she understands from every single verse. She is in 3rd Nephi and reading really well. It reminded me of the scripture in Ether12:27 "And if men cometh unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they might be humble, and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." It's so true. If we do our part and take our weaknesses to God, there is nothing we can't overcome. That example impacted me quite a bit. She is awesome and that example was awesome for me. Well that's about what I've got this week. I've got a few picks but not much. I love you guys! I'll talk to you next week. Hasta luego!

Hola everyone,Well my companion and I are both alive and well. We had our doubts over the last two weeks but we're are still here haha. I don't know what I had or what he had but it was not an enjoyable experience to say the least. First I'll finally tell you guys about my area a little. I'm in the mountain right now, so it's a little colder. I'm in basically the outskirts of Quito so it's still relatively dangerous and the roads are still mainly dirt. The people here are definitely awesome. The food is alright. I came from the best, so I'm not too impressed with it here in Quito, but it's alright. I've eaten some chicken feet and some part of the pig, like the jowels or something. I dont know what it was. It wasn't fantastic. Also for all those that think the Four Corners is good. I put my foot in 2 hemispheres today, so ya, I'm pretty much moving up in life. The middle of the world is my zone. I''ll send pics today. It's bacan. The monument is awesome. There is also a mega mall in my zone which has its advantages as well. My companion Elder Nielsen is a 6 10 giant. He is super nice guy though. He is one of the cooler guys in the mission. He is from Parma Idaho. Yes he played a lot of basketball before the mission, also a lot of tennis, and he's full chevere. The work here is awesome! Saturday we had a baptism. Tiwinsta jersy mamalljcta tapuy got baptised. Thank goodness my companion did the job, so i didn't have to pronounce that name. It was really good though. I'll send pics. Also flia chinchuña got married. Jannette and daniel got married. That was awesome, I'll send pics. Marco German ughsa ibakingo has a baptismal date. He's the coolest guy ever. I have not a better human being on my mission than Marco. He has the coolest persoanlity ever. I love Marco. I hope he keeps progressing. The ward I'm in is awesome; the ward mission leader is la mama de ward mission leaders. He is the man. I love working with him. Everything is pretty alright here congahua. On a spiritual side there is scripture that I like D & C 6:36 that says, "look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not." I love that scripture. This life isn't easy but I've never been more sure in my life that if we look to God through what we have to guide us we will be just fine. This life is short. The challenges are to help us. If we just trust God in all things and suffer patiently through the challenges, how great shall be our reward in the life to come. I love you guys. I'll send pics. Talk to you next week.